Dirty Tackle

Pele tears up at launch for his giant new $1,700 book

Still have some money left over after ordering your Neymar doll? Well how about a $1,700 book about Pele that could shatter your foot if you dropped it?

Pele got a bit misty-eyed while presenting a limited edition book about his career entitled "1283" — the record number of goals the now 72-year-old Brazilian legend scored over a career that included three World Cup titles. The book weighs a hefty 33 pounds and costs an even heftier $1,700 since just 1,283 copies have been printed. But if that's too cheap for your tastes, there's also a more expensive version available.

A luxury edition of the work containing an iconic signed picture of Pele with a heart-shaped patch of sweat following a game will be available at a cool $2600.

"This really makes me well up. It is a legacy I left for Brazil," Pele said, dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief.

It's not entirely clear what a "heart-shaped patch of sweat" is, but it sounds like it would be a biohazard. The book is 500 pages long and will feature previously unpublished pictures and writings assembled by a large team of researchers, writers and designers for luxury book publisher Toriba Publica (because billionaires need things to read too!). It is being billed as "the definitive work on the Athlete of the Century."

The book will be released in November and launch events are scheduled for London, Dubai and New York, where Pele ended his playing career with the Cosmos in the 1970s.